(Member BACP, Diploma in Addiction Therapy)

Portfolio of Experience and Qualifications

Work Undertaken

Individual

Autism Clients

Assessments and reports on cognitive functioning carried out – ‘A brilliant and well written report,’ G.L. (who, though extremely intelligent and high functioning, faced major challenges in his personal life)

Strategies for better life management and improved communication skills provided.
Relationship advice and help given.

Brain Injury

specialist help with cognitive functioning and speech and communication – ‘Getting my speech back was absolutely the best thing that has happened since my accident,’ T.B. (she had a three year old brain injury and a prognosis saying she would never recover speech. She was speaking almost fluently within 3 months)

Information and advice on how to cope with changes in behaviour offered to families

General Psychotherapy

For individuals and couples, including addiction work – ‘I don’t think I thank you enough for all your help Gillian. Thank you, you’re brilliant and I sing your praises to people,’ J.V. (a young man who had a highly dysfunctional childhood, and was helped with anxiety, identity confusion, addictive states and life management)

Help with anxiety, depression, and managing anger. The development of resilience and coping skills a major focus of all work.

Couples work – uncovering deep structural problems in relationships, and working on practical strategies to improve communications and family systems – ‘I have found my sessions with Gillian extremely useful,’ I.W. (one half of a couple experiencing great difficulties in communicating effectively)

Business

Team Sculping

Optimising communications and behavioural strategies, leading to improved internal relationships and team dynamics – ‘I strongly feel that I personally, and the team as a whole, will work more effectively and closely together, resulting in not only improved output, but a much more enjoyable atmosphere’, A.W. (a senior executive of a multinational organisation)

‘..now a conscious well- structured foundation on which both individuals and the team as a whole build to achieve an increased level of effectiveness…..the participants who have highlighted it as the most enjoyable and effective piece of personal development they have undertaken for years.’ J.P.

Individual Coaching

To help with career progression, crisis periods and motivational blockages as well as to enhance communication skills – ‘Thank you for all your coaching over the past year which has been hugely beneficial to me both personally and in the work place,’ L.T. (European Director of Operations in an international consultancy)

‘Really enjoyable. Thank you. I feel a huge debt of gratitude to you for a real personal watershed period of experience,’ Sally Jones-Evans, Customer Management Director at Lloyds TSB Insurance

Leadership Training

Development of cognitive and communication skills to enable individuals to think, act, and speak with the authority of leaders – ‘Language is a sub conscious gift, but having had it so long I had forgotten the joy of the gift…..the rediscovery of its awesome power and influence…. has been one of the most enjoyable learning experiences I have had,’ Jon Pain (MD Lloyds TSB Insurance)

I much enjoyed the coaching sessions during which Gillian employed some interesting techniques, particularly language analysis (”what you tease out of me”), which improved my self-awareness and aided my understanding of effective leadership (”our last meeting was very thought provoking and I have regularly reflected upon it”).‘

Miles Wade CBE (Club Secretary, Royal Automobile Club)

Education & Training

The Headmasters’ Conference 2011

The Greatest Gift – developing Resilience in our children. An exploration of the neurology, biology and psychology of the foundations of resilience, and of one of the major features of it – the ability to delay gratification.

‘Thank you for your excellent seminar at last week’s Conference. The feedback has been very good and your input to the programme very much appreciated’

The Girls’ Schools Association Conference 2013

Emotional and Behavioural Resilience – the practices and behaviour of resilient personalities, including the tell- tale linguistic choices and attitudes which support resilience. ‘Thank you so much. Really stimulating and thought provoking’

BACP Universities and Colleges Conference 2013

Resilience – keeping safe in adolescence and young adulthood. Looking at the underpinnings of resilience, and at how these work to create autonomy and to protect a person from peer pressure, online influences and substance abuse. ‘Your workshop was very well received, on the day there certainly was a real buzz, so ‘thank you’ again’

The Sunday Times Festival of Education at Wellington College 2010

Lessons from addiction. A look at the biological, cultural and psychological influences on an individual’s chances of succumbing to addictions of various kinds.

And an upbeat message to parents – yes, you can make a positive difference.

Recent and forthcoming conferences:

Boarding Schools’ Association

HMC Conference for Heads of Sixth Form

Heads of Sixth Conferences (Net Sixth)

Wellington College Festival of Education

University of Buckingham Festival of Higher Education

UKESAD International Addiction Conference

NHS England Health and Justice Conference

HMC Conference 2018

Comments include: ‘Wonderful!’ ‘Gillian Bridge in particular was brilliant’. ‘Could have listened to her all day’.’Highlight of the day’. ‘I was sorry when she finished’. ‘Inspirational’.

Qualifications

Study & Experience

Over 30 years teaching and lecturing in schools, FE and HE
Lecturing
Public speaking
Published articles
Individual and Team coaching and training with major international financial organisations and consultancies
Work in prisons – member of CARATs teams (HMPs’ drug and alcohol service) and lecturer in Communications
Member of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Priory Hospital: Postgraduate diploma in Addiction Therapy
BA English (Hons)

Skills – USP

Studying, understanding and working with, the inter-relationship between cognition, language, behaviour, and outcomes, concentrating specifically on behaviours which create and define: image, personal or career relationships, and wellbeing